Article packaging and handling device



Dec. 6, 1960 H. R. STAGNER ARTICLE PACKAGING AND HANDLING msvxcs FiledApril 8, 1957 INVENTOR, HAMILTON R. STAGNER. BY z/7m ATTORNEY.

ARTICLE PACKAGING AND HANDLING DEVICE Hamilton R. Stagner, 121 EmbassyLane, Kirkwood 22, Mo.

Filed Apr. 8, 1957, Ser. No. 651,349

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates in general to means forpackag ing and handling articles which are extremely delicate and whichhave an outer surface which must be maintained protected and undamagedduring transport and display.

More particularly this invention is applied to confections such ascaramel coated apples, coated confections of all kinds, and bakery goodssuch as cream pufls, which must be maintained in perfect conditionbefore consumption.

The present invention provides skewer means for piercing and grippingsuch articles as an early step in the process of their manufacture.These means remain in the articles during their subsequent coating orfilling, and in fact provide a convenient attachment by which sucharticles may be picked up, dipped, moved about and passed throughsimilar operations necessary to complete their manufacture.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a sanitarypackage for awkwardly shaped and delicate confections, which will beextremely compact but which will, at the same time, make it impossibleto damage the confection.

A further object of the invention is to provide a convenient, economicaland simple telescoping handle means which can be used to grip thearticle during its consumption, but which will fold into a recessedposition during shipping.

Other objects and uses of these means will appear from a detailedanalysis of the invention as exemplified by the particular embodimentillustrated in the accompanying drawings, which show the inventionapplied to a candied apple. In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a section through the apple, pierced by the skewer andshowing the telescoping handle extended to its fullest position, readyfor consumption of the apple.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apple, showing the skewer and telescopinghandle compressed together, and carried by a box or container forshipping purposes or for display. The dotted lines of Figure 2 indicatethe positions of the skewer and handle means in the interior of theapple.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, the apple is generally indicatedat 10. Inserted in the top of the apple is the hollow skewer means 11,which is preferably constructed of plastic. The skewer 11 consists of acircular or cylindrical base 12, integral with the truncated skewer cone13. The skewer is provided with a tapered opening 14.

In the tapered opening 14 is placed the telescoping handle means 15,which consists of a solid truncated plastic cone of such dimensions thatit can be pulled out to the position shown in Figure 1, but no farther.When it is opened out to this position the frictional engagement of thehandle means 15 against the inner walls of the ice tapered opening 14,serves to provide a firm and tight fit so that the weight of the apple10 can easily be supported by the handle 15.

At the'lower end of the handle 15 a base 16, corresponding in generalshape and outer dimensions to the cylindrical base 12, is provided. Thebase 16 is attached to the handle 14 by a frictional engagement, or slipfit, through a tapered central opening, 17.

The bases 12 and 16 are respectively provided with circumferentialannular slots 18 and 19.

In operation, the skewer 11 is first inserted in the apple. A barb 20,integral with the outer wall of the skewer cone 13, serves to hold theapple on the skewer so that it cannot fall off. After this step, theskewer 11 becomes the part by which the apple is handled, to avoidblemishing or otherwise injuring the fruit. By holding the base 12 insuitably devised grippers, the apple may be automatically washed,dipped, nutted, sprayed, dusted with sugar and submitted to many otherappropriate steps.

After such steps as are required to coat the apple or otherwise renderit ready for packaging and final transportation to the consumer, thehandle 15 is inserted through the central tapered opening 14 in theskewer 11. Then the base 16 is applied to the handle 15.

In order to ship or transport the apple, the handle 15 is pressed backor recessed in the opening 14. This position is shown in Figure 2. Inthis position both the bases 12 and 16 lie against or immediatelyadjacent to the ends of the apple.

Next the apple must be placed in a container, either of cardboard or oftransparent plastic, for display purposes. The container has dimensionssuch that it is larger than the apple and consequently nowhere does itswalls touch the outer surface, the candied surface of the apple. Thecontainer is denoted by the numeral 21 in Figure 2.

Container 21 is provided with circular openings 22, 23 cooperative withthe circumferential slots 18, 19 respectively. These openings are ofsuch a size that they fit snugly against the inner edge of the slots, sothat the bases 12, 16 cannot fall out of the openings and cause theouter coating of the apple 10 to hit against the walls of the container21.

It will be noted that when the skewer and handle have been telescopedtogether as shown in Figure 2, a most compact and sanitary arrangementhas been attained for suclli an awkwardly constructed confection as acandied app e.

When it is desired to consume the candied apple, the sanitary container21 is removed and the handle 15 is telescoped outward to its fullestextent. This is accomplished by merely pulling the two bases 12 and 16apart. In this position, see Figure 1, the apple 10 can be held steadilyby the handle 15, so that none of the sticky outer surface of the applecomes into contact with the fingers or clothing of the consumer. Thebarb 20 prevents the apple from turning on the skewer or falling offduring consumption.

It is apparent that other modifications of structure may be made withoutdeparting from the intent and purpose of my invention; and it is to beunderstood that the particular embodiment described hereinabove andillustrated in the accompanying drawings is not to be considered aslimiting the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

Means for facilitating the handling of a comestible article, comprising:a container larger than the article and provided with mutuallyperpendicular walls, two base elements each projecting through thecenter of one of 3 two parallel and opposite walls of said container,circumferential slots in said base elements cooperative with the wallsof said container to hold the base elements in fixed centered spatialrelationship in and through said two parallel and opposite walls, atubular tapered skewer means integral with one of said base elementswhereby the article is supported, a telescoping tapered handle meansslidably disposed within said skewer means and integral with the otherbase element, and barb means integral with said tubular tapered skewermeans.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS HopeJune 8, 1920 Ashworth Apr. 12, 1921 Feigelman Dec. 9, 1924 Finn Dec. 8,1925 Lindermann Oct. 13, 1931 Perry June 19, 1951 Janicke Nov. 11, 1952

